$3,300 Main Event
Day 1a Started
2024 Merit Poker Western Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2024 Merit Poker Western Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$1,854,720
Entries
672
Level
36
Blinds
200,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
188
Players Left
71
The location may be a seaside island paradise instead of a dusty saloon, but like the cowboys and robbers of the old American West, players are in for a duel when the Merit Poker Western Series $3,300 Main Event begins at noon local time.
Over the next six days, players will descend on the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in North Cyprus and try to replicate the feat of a homegrown hero. In last year’s event, Cyprus’ own Orthodoxos Orthodoxou, who admitted he had only played a handful of live poker tournaments before, emerged on top of a 757 player field to win the Main Event and capture the $372,800 top prize. That final table also included the likes of Aleksandr Chernikov, Ara Melkisetian, Eduard Barsegian, Justus Held, and Dominik Panka.
2023 Merit Poker Western Series Final Table results
| Place | Player | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orthodoxos Orthodoxou | $372,800 |
| 2 | Aleksandr Chernikov | $274,500 |
| 3 | Ernestas Degtiariovas | $168,400 |
| 4 | Ara Melkisetian | $124,600 |
| 5 | Eduard Barsegian | $93,300 |
| 6 | Justus Held | $75,400 |
| 7 | Serge Matta | $62,400 |
| 8 | Dominik Panka | $49,600 |
| 9 | Vladislav Doroshkov | $37,300 |
The journey toward becoming a Merit Poker champion like Orthodoxou begins today with Day 1a, the first of four starting flights. Players begin with a 100,000 starting stack and will play nine 60-minute levels for each of the first two opening flights. Day 1c features 40-minute levels, while there is also a turbo Day 1d flight with 25-minute levels that begins at 7 p.m. on January 22. The surviving players from the four starting flights then combine for Day 2 at noon on January 23.
Late registration is open until the end of Level 14 on Day 2. With unlimited reentries available, the field should far surpass the $1,500,000 guarantee and create a massive prize pool.
This is the event that has brought hundreds of poker players here to North Cyprus with a dream of capturing the title, and it all kicks off today. Follow along as PokerNews provides all the live updates throughout the tournament.
Level: 1
Blinds: 200/500
Ante: 500
Level 1
: Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
The tables have been drawn, the chips have been stacked, and the players have taken their seats as Day 1a is now underway with 53 players currently registered.
Level 1
: Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
||
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
||
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
Panicos Charalambides and Jonathan Rosenwasser built a pot of around 5,000 as they went heads-up to a flop of 4♠J♠A♦. Rosenwasser then bet 1,400 from the small blind and Charalambides called on the button.
Both players checked the 3♣ turn and Rosenwasser also checked the 6♥ river. Charalambides then bet 2,000 and Rosenwasser called.
Charalambides turned over A♣8♦ for top pair and Rosenwasser mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
105,000 | |
|
95,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
Around 6,000 was in the pot as Mehmet Demirkol and Anatoly Korochenkiy went to the turn on a board of Q♥Q♠6♠7♣. Korochenskiy then bet 2,200 from the button before Demirkol raised to 5,500 in the small blind.
Korochenskiy reraised to 13,000 and Demirkol quickly called. The river was the J♣ and both players checked to a showdown.
Demirkol turned over K♠7♥ for two pair, queens and sevens, and Korochenskiy flashed the K♥ as he mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
108,000 | |
|
85,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
Heads-up on a flop of 3♦8♦9♥, Sorin Marin led out for 1,500 from the small blind and Alexander Sazhinov called in the hijack.
The turn was the 5♥ and Marin bet another 2,100. Sazhinov again called and the 5♣ fell on the river.
Marin slowed down and checked as Sazhinov tossed out 7,000. Marin quickly called and Sazhinov turned over A♥9♣ for two pair. Marin let out a laugh as he mucked while Sazhinov dragged in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
110,000 | |
|
85,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
Andrew Hedley, trading in his commentator gig from a shot on the felt today, raised to 1,500 from the cutoff and Eduard Norel called in the big blind.
The flop came 7♦K♠7♣ and Hedley continued for 700. Norel called and both players checked the 4♥ turn.
Norel led out for 2,500 on the 4♣ river and Hedley came back with a raise to 8,200. Norel snap-called and turned over 9♥7♠ for a full house. Hedley mucked A♠4♠ for a smaller full house as he took an early hit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
115,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
|
85,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
Heads-up on a flop of A♠10♦5♣, Yiannakis Papapetrou bet 5,500 from the small blind and Dean Hutchison called in the hijack.
The turn was the 8♥ and Papapetrou bet another 11,300. Hutchison again called and the Q♦ fell on the river. Papapetrou then tossed in a white 25,000 chip and announced a bet of 15,000.
Hutchison responded by moving all in and Papapetrou, with around 40,000 remaining, tanked for more than a minute before turning over the A♦ and tossing it into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
155,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
40,000
40,000
|
40,000 |